Deep-water bridge-pier and means for and method of constructing the same.



n A. G. RUSH. DEEP WATER BRIDGE PIER AND MEANS FOR AND METHOD 0F GONSTRUGTING THE SAME.

APPLIUATIN FILED AUG. 3D, 1911.

1,079,517, Pathtea Nov. 25, 1913.

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A. C. RUSH. DEEP WATER BRIDGE PIER AND MEANS EOE AND METHOD 0E GONSTEUCTING THE SAME.

APPLICATION FILED vAUG. 30, 1911. 1,079,5] Patented NOV. 25, 1913.

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A. C. RUSH. DEEP WATER BRIDGE PIER AND MEANS FOR AND METHOD 0F CONSTRUGTING THE SAME.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG. 30, 1911.

Patented Nov. 25, 1913.

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aan STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALLAN-C. RUSH, 0F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

' DEEBWATER BRIDGE-PIER AND MEANS E OR; AND. METHOD y SAME,

0F CONSTRUCTING THE Patented Nov'. 25, 1913.

Application led August 3Q, 1911. Serial No. 646,929.

T0 all whom, 15 may concern:

Be itflno-wn that I, ALLAN C: RUSH, a, citizen of the United States, residlng at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented anew and, useful Deep-Water Bridge-Pier and Means for and Method of Construct-ing the Same, of which the following is a specifica-' r)She object of this invention is to make provision 'whereby bridge piers may be'constructed in deep water subject to currents and heavy water pressure.

.An immediate objectpof this invention isv to, make provision whereby a suspension bridge between the cities of San Francisco and Oakland, California, can be provlded with intermediate supporting piers.

A depth at which some of such piers must be constructed in the Water is as great as 120 feet with a probable depth of 150 feet below high tide to bed-rock. In this water swift currents run, for the majorportion of every twenty-four hours, the currents being neutralizedv attimes by the meeting of the inlowing tide and the outf'lowing river. The statlc pressure of thewater at tne depth of 120 feet is estimated at 7689.6. pounds per souare foot and it has heretoforeubeen considered impossible to construct the piers necessarv for the service above stated. I propose to overcome the difficulty by constructing a suitable reinforced concrete structure as a fioat in 'a dock and then tov tow the structure which I term a pier frame, to the site where the pierl i's to be stationed, and then to seat the pier frame on such site; provision being frame may during the process of construction have sufficient buoyancy for the purpose, and further provision being I nade wherebysuch buoyancy can lbe eliminated when the pier frame is properly stationed,

and to complete the pier by filling the frame, thus giving permanency and solidity to the pier sufficient to fill the requirements.

It is an object also to make provlsion whereby workmen may, if necessary, operate at the bed of the body of water for the pur'- pose of clearing said bed of obstructions or for leveling the pier frame or for such other purposes as may be required. during the operation of fixing th'e pier on lts slte.

l shall herein illustrato and describe the yinvention 4in the form lat present deemed with cap in place. ling tubes are also shown. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the pier .side elevation of the 'afloat in the dock.

made whereby the pier'` most practical, but -it is to be understood that various changes and modifications within the judgment of the constructor may 'be made without departingfrom the broad spiritV of this invention.

-An object of the invention is to so construct the pier 'that it will be storm proof; also to give workmen opportunity to work on the bed of the bay or'othe'r body of water at the pier siteto clear or excavate the same.

It is understood that the invention may be applied for buildingpiers for' any'pur- 'pose wherever the conditions may` make it necessary or desirable.

Referring to the accompanying dra-w'- ings Figure 1 is a plan of the completed pier frame in a dry dock after the water has been let into said dock; barges being' in position ready for towing the pier frame out to its site. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the buoyant reinforced concrete pier frame as the same would appear after completion at the dock. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the pier frame shown in Figs: l and 2. Fig.

4 is a fragmental plan of the pier frame showing one cap in place, the other caps having not been applied to the tubes, or 'havin been removed therefrom. Fig. 5 ragmental vertical section "o f al tube Fragments 'of adjoinisa frame through a row of tubes showing thepier frame ullv constructed. F ig. 7 is a pier frame-anu'. barges Fig. `8 is an end view of the pier frame and barges afloat. Fig. 9 is a transverse vertical section through a,

transverse row of tubes showing the pier frame in place above its site before the mud has been lremovedin preparation for receiv# ing the final concrete filling. Fig. 10 is a viewanalo'gous to Fig. 9 showing the p ier completed ready to receive the superstructure.

From the nature of the views proportions have not been preserved throughout and the proportions may be variedwithin` the judg .ment of the constructor.

The pier illustrated in the drawings is designed to be 325 feetlong by 225 feet wide a't-the base and 150 feet high, and it is to be understood that the sizes and proportions may be varied in accordance with the requirements for the various piers. It has an' internal tubular structure` and a concrete body and an arched base all of which will now'be particularly described.

The bottom plate 1 may b e constructed wholly orlin'part of steel or iron and may or may not have a central base concavity 2 which in the instance-shown forms an arch having a height of 12 feet atits spring, said plate forming around said arch `a practically level border 3 having a width of 25 feet more or less said plate being turned to form an upstanding rim 4 entirely around the plate and of a height of about two feet. To this rim is riveted a downwardly projecting base flange 5 which may extend down a depth of about two feet, more or less below the level of 'the border 3. The bottom plate and its rim may be of steelplates riveted together and about an inch' and a 4half in thickness. The base flange 5 may be of sheet iron about one-half inch thick and capable of being bent as the frame settles to conformto the `unevenness of the bed rock. The plate may be laminated o r may be of a single thickness as may be found the most practicable in actual construction. The arch of the base plate is perforated with openings 6 and .is constructed vto receive the bottoms of upright tubes 7 that are fastened by hold the-concrete which is to be applied in the course of construction. Some of the reinforcing elements consist of.troughshaped structures, 11 which may be built of iron or steel plates or may be built of ribs or angleiron bars and extend from the inter-tube spaces downwardly and outwardly at an angle and are united. These. reinforcing elements 11 form protecting shields for the Outside tubes to protect them from .external pressure. The reinforcing elements 11 along the sides are fastened at their inner terminals to the cross-plates 9 that are riveted thereto and` extend between the tubes and are held by the rivets 10 that hold the tubes together. Said cross-plates 9 `may be fastened by angle-iron plates 13 to longitudinal plates 14 to which the elements 11 at the upper ends of the nest of tubes are riveted, 'so that the reinforcing elements are supported by the plates and also by the tubes, there being spaces around said elements to receive concrete. The tubes are open at the bottom and are covered at the top by heads or caps 15 each provided with a hermetically scalable man-holel, a compressed air port 17 and exhaust port 18. Acompressed air 'pipe line 19 communicates through the valves 20 with the compressed air ports. The base plate, the tubes and the reinforcing elements may all be constructed of reinforced concrete or other material within the judgment of the engineer.

The method of construction is as follows A dry dock 21 will be provided for the pier,` and the base plate will first be constructed in said dock; and'upon said base plate will be fastened the tubes 7 and the re inforcing elements 11. The space outside the4 lnest of upright tubes 7 will be filled with concrete; suitab e forms, not shown, being provided to give appropriate external shape to the'concrete'body 23 around the nest of tubes. The pier frame will preferably be completed inside the dry dock -which will be deep enough to float the pier frame when the water is let into the dock. Said dry dock will also preferably be large enough to accommodate two steadying barges 22 arranged alongside of and lashed to the pier frame near the water line. As the work of putting the concrete in place progresses any reinforcing cables, rods or other elements may be applied as desired. The cables 11 wound around the slanting V-shaped troughlike reinforcing elements 11 indicate some of the reinforcing elements that may be used. No attempt has been made to illustrate all of such elements that may be found advisable. In practice the pier frameJ having the internal cavities as the tubes 7 and base concavity 2 will be constructed in a dry dock 21 having a suficient depth to float the frame with the assistance of such barges 22 as may be `deemed advisable by the construct-ing engineer, said dock being large enough to accommodate the pier frame and the barges. The pier frame will be constructed as a reinforced concrete structure provided with a nest of'large empty tubes 7 suliicient to give the required buoyancy to the frame during the process of floating the frame from the dry dock to the pier site. The frame is completed outside the tubes by the concrete filling 23 that is more or less reinforced as conditions `may require. -The tubes are her metically sealed at the top by the caps or heads 15 and compressed air is forced through the pipes 19 and valved ports 17, thus forcing the water down out of the tubes until the pier frame is produced giving the required buoyancy. Then the pier frame is lashed to the barges and will be towed to the site Where the pier is to be located and may there be secured by hawsers and anchors, not shown, and the compressedl air allowed to escape from the tubes through the valved exhaust ports 18 Vprovided for that purpose. Whenthe pier frame has been lowered to the bed of the body of water, if there is a mud or earth deposit 24 on the bed-rock the more of the tubes for the purpose ofclearing out the mud or other material that-may be reached therethrough. Interior bulkheads indicated at 25 and of any usual structure will be provided if it is desired to work in any. such deposit under pressure higher than atmospheric pressure, but it is assumed that ordinarily such bulkheads will not Vbe -required for the reason that the ail: pressure applied through some of the. tubes may force the mud up in one or more other tubes so that it may be readily gotten at and removed. When the material has been excavated to the'bottom .of a tube excavationsunderneath the base plate may be conducted; bulkheads being used if necessaryv to maintain pressurein excess of. atmospheric pressure during-the said excavation. It may be found desirable to make anchor receiving excavations 27 in the bed-rock. The downwardly extending flange 45, as it comes intocontact with irregularities of the bed-rock may be bent by the weight of the settling lpier frame to conformto the surface of the bed-rock so as to exclude to a large degree the entrance of'mud or sand from outside of the pier frame. It is intended that the tubes shall have sutlicient area so by increasing the air pressure in appropriate tubes at one snide or at one end while the air pressure is released from the tubes at/the otherside or from the other end to allow the top surface of the pier to be kept level, especially when v:so

the pier is to be finally seated. lf it should be found that the bed-rock does not properly conform to the border ,3 around the arch of the base, said bed-rock may be excavated in places and built up by concrete in ,other places .as may be required;l so that when the' pier is finally seated it will -rest upon a' solid foundation to which it conforms.- When the border has thus been lseated the cavities at the foundation and under the base plate may be filled with concrete, and before this is completed anchor irons 28 may be inserted into the anchor excavations 27 and afterward built and extended up through the tubes 7' to the top of the pier frame to afford the necessary anchorage for the superstructure. Then the tubes may be partly or completely lled with concrete, and the pier will thus be completed. The pier thus provided may then e extended up indefinitely above the water level' as areinforced concrete structure upon which may be founded any desirable form of bridge or other superstruc= ture.

.It is intended toplace the pier frames wlth their greatest length transverse the bridge and the ends of the piersare pointed to deect the tides and currents that sweep through the channe'l or bay.

By lconstructing the forced concrete having the central nest of tubes 7 and reinforcing elements 11 and maintaining air pressure therein until the pier frame is at the pier site and' then maintaining intrnal pressure either by the admitted water or by compressed air', all danger of. collapsing the frame is absolutely eliminated and concrete structure around supported by of vsuc of collapsing under any pressure to which the structure can be subjected. y

I claim 1. The method set. forth of constructing a deep water pier which consists in first constructing in a dry dock a reinforced'concrete pier frame having internal cavities; admitting water to thedry dock and excluding it andv internally the nest of tubes can be made -pier frame of reinfurthermore the reinforced from all or a portion ofsaid cavities suiciently to give required buoyancy for floating the pier frame; then towing the pier frame to the pier site; admitting water to the cavities and lowering the pier' frame onto the site;`excavating the mud or other materialv in said cavitiesand allowing the pier to settle into place.

2. The method set forth of constructing a deep water pier which consists in first constucting in a dry dock a reinforced concrete pier frame having internal cavities; admitting water to the dry dock; forcing compressed air into the cavities and thereby excluding water from all or a portion of said cavities, givin required buoyancy for floatingf the pier rame; then towing the pier frame to the pier site; lowering the pier frame onto the site, excavating from said cavities. the mud or lother material from therein, allowing the air to escape and the pier to settle into place; and filling the cavi'- ties with concrete.

3. The method set forth of construct-ing a deep Water pier which consists in first constructing'in va dry dock a reinforced concrete-pier frame having internal cavities; admitting water to the dry dock and excluding it from all or a portion of said cavities suiciently to give required buoyancy for floating the pier frame; then'towing the pier frame to the pier site; lowerin the pier frame onto the slte; excavating om said cavitiesthe mud or other material" therein;

allowing the pier to settle into place; making anchor-receiving excavations in the'site and filling said excavations and the cavities with concrete. l i

4. The pierl frame substantially'set forth comprising a .nest of tubes; frame plates terior structure, there being an arched base plate at the bottom.l l

7. A pier frame comprising an internal tubular structure, an arched base and a concrete body on the base and around the structure.

8. A pier frame comprising an internal tubular' structure, an arched base and a reinforced concrete body on thebase and around the structure.

9. A pier frame having an internal tubular structure, an external concrete body, and an arched base having an approximately level border. K

10. A pier frame having an internal tubular structure, an external concrete body, and an arched base having an approximately level border; there being a downwardly extending flange around the border.

, 11. A reinforced concrete pier frame having a hollow base and internal structure, and

ya bendable downwardly extending flange around the base.

12. A pier comprising an internal tubular structure, a concave base, a concrete body around said structure, and a concrete filling in the tubular structure and base.

. 13. A pier frame comprising a tubular internal structure; a concrete body around the structure; heads for the tops of the tubes and means to force compressed air into said tubes; the Abottoms of the tubes being open.

14. A pier frame comprising a nest of tubes a reinforced concrete body around the tubes, and means to Iforce compressed air into the tubes.

15. A pier frame comprising a nest of tubes a reinforced concrete body around the tubes, means to force compressed air into the tubes, and means to exhaust the compressed air from the tubes respectively.

16. A pier comprising a tubular structure, a reinforced concrete body around the struc-` ture., a filling in the tubular structure and anchors in the filling.

vIn testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles, California, this 24th. day of August, 1911.

JAMES R. TowNsEND, L. BELLE RICE. 

